Fox Chain 4-1-12

Finally got on the water to do some fishing. Too bad I was so busy at work and missed out on the unseasonable weather we had in March to cast a line. Spent the day with my good friends Ron and "Q" chasing some crappies. Saw a number of boats muskie fishing but heard no reports. I would suspect that most of the muskies are staging on the 1st deep breaks right now ready to move up to begin their spawning cycle provided the weather can stabilize and water temps begin to increase. Spawning usually will start around the 50-52 degree mark with completion around the 57-58. Smaller male fish will usually be the ones you catch this time of year as the females once done spawning usually need some recovery time. Smaller baits are my first choice but do not rule out larger baits from time to time. We ended up getting 16 nice crappies between 10-12" with a couple over 14". Caught many smaller crappies which is good to see various year classes coming on. It is amazing how fast 3 guys can go through 4 dozen+ minnows in about 4 hours of fishing!